Edinburgh weather: Met Office thunderstorm warning for Edinburgh as flooding and disruption expected

Met Office warns thunderstorms could cause ‘flooding and disruption’ in Edinburgh

Heavy showers and thunderstorms are forecast to hit Edinburgh today.

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for thunderstorms, covering Edinburgh, East Lothian, Midlothian and West Lothian. The warning will be in place from 12pm to 6pm today, Wednesday, June 21. The weather forecaster said that heavy showers and thunderstorms may cause “some flooding and disruption” in the area, while “hail and lightning are also likely to cause some hazardous conditions”.

Travel is likely to be affected by the adverse weather, including delays to train services, and longer journey times by car and bus. The Met Office has also warned that buildings and structures could be damaged by lightning strikes. Some areas could see up to 10 to 20 millimetres of rain in around one hour. According to the Met Office forecast for Edinburgh, the Capital will stay mostly dry on Wednesday, with light showers at around 12pm. However, more rain is forecast to hit the city on Friday, June 23.

Heavy rain and thunderstorms are set to cause disruption in Edinburgh today. (Photo credit: Getty)

Met Office Chief Meteorologist Steve Willington said: “Thunderstorms will breakout through the day on Tuesday, with our warnings highlighting the most likely locations. While not everywhere will see the most impactful showers, 20-30mm of rain could fall in some spots within an hour, with higher rainfall totals possible if showers were to impact the same place.

“What’s chiefly responsible for these thundery showers is that the UK is under the influence of low pressure, with daytime heating helping to develop unstable air which can be responsible for these bursts of heavy rain.”